1971 – PrOP-M Mars Mini Rover (Soviet)

PrOP-M is now at the museum in St.Petersburg. PrOP-M (Device Evaluation Terrain – Mars) [Note: the acronym only works in Russian] ПрОП-Ðœ (Прибор Оценки Проходимости – Марс) Mass………………………………………………4 kg Overall dimensions…………………………215x160x60 mm Travel speed……………………………………1 m/h Power consumption………………………………5 W Customer: Lavochkin Association. (First translated article) Two automated rovers reached Mars in 1971 during a mission the Mars …

1979 – 6-legged Walking Machine – Efimov et al (Soviet)

Above stills from the video clip. The mechanical model was developed at the Institute VNIITRANSMASH (St. Petersburg). The parameters of the machine are the follows: body length 0,6 m and body width 0,25 m, weight 40 kg, length of leg 0,4 m (Efimov et al., 1982). Efimov, V., Kudriasev, M. & Titov, A.(1982). Investigation of Robotics Systems, chap. …

1977 – IPM Six-Legged Walker with Laser Scanning – Okhotsimski et al (Soviet)

The insect-like walkers were referred to as "cockroaches". In the early 70s, at the Institute of Applied mathematics (IPM) of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow, a six-legged walking machine controlled on a base of a mathematical model of motion control was developed. The machine motion and the terrain were rendered on a display. …

1975 – “LIIIM” Mars Walking Device (Soviet)

see a few seconds of "LIIIM" in operation here. "LIIIM" running mock-up with ski-walking propulsive device (1975) Running mock-up was created in accordance with the "Mars-75" program. Purpose: investigation of the ski-walking method of motion over powdered soil having low bearing strength. Each ski has two electromechanical drives. Mass…………………………………………240 kg Overall dimensions……………….………..2×1.7 m Travel speed……………….…………….0.25 …

1972 – Manned Hexapod (Model) – Ignatiev (Soviet)

In 1974, a hexapod with legs arranged radially about a central vertical axis was made in the Aviation Instrument Institute in St.Petersburg. (Ignatyev et al, 1974). Ignatyev, M., F.M.Kulakov & Mihaeilov, A.(1974). Algorithms for control of robot-manipulators. Mechanics of Machines 46, “Nauka”, Moscow, (in Russian). [RH-2012- The arm on the hexapod is actually the end-effector …